The End
by Blooddraken
Summary: Kim and Ron's final adventure. This time, it's personal as their children are kidnapped. Not part of A long Life universe.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I don't own Kim Possible or any of the other characters from the show. That privilege belongs to Disney. Jeanelle and Elena do belong to me though.

At the moment, this story's rated T, but something inside tells me that that may change. I will let you know if it does.

I'm also working on another story with no working title yet. Not sure if I'll publish it here, but if I do, it will definitely be rated M. There won't be anything explicit or anything. But it will cover a rather mature subject that is also rather personal for me. Which is why I'm not sure if I'll publish it or not.

* * *

"Wake up!" a little girl cries out as she runs by her parent's bedroom door, "Wakeupmommyanddaddy! It's Christmas!"

"I heard some news," the man, a pale blond, mumbles to his red-haired wife.

"Oh yeah?" she asks, rolling over and opening her emerald eyes as she gazes at her husband, "What news did you hear?"

"It's Christmas!" Ron Stoppable exclaims, getting out of bed and dressing hurriedly as his wife, one Kimberly Anne Stoppable née Possible, giggled at her husband's antics.

"You're just as bad as they are," she admonishes him, rising and reaching for her powder blue robe. Sliding the robe on over her thin white pajamas, she slides some slippers on before following after her husband.

Reaching the living room, Kim smiles as she watches Ron and Elena going through the presents.

After a moment though, she asks, "Where's Jeanelle?"

"Still asleep," Elena says, brushing her honey blonde hair out of her eyes as she grabs another present, "She threw her pillow at me"

"I'll get her up then," Kim says, turning to head to the room the twin girls shared.

"Hey mommy," Elena asks, "If Jeanelle doesn't get up, can I get her presents?"

"Sure," Ron says as Kim laughs, "But she gets your presents in return"

"Aww man," Elena's voice echoes down the hallway as Kim goes to wake up Jeanelle. Opening the door to the twins' shared bedroom, Kim sticks her head in, eyes falling on the poster of a woman clad in black clothing, black feathered wings spread out as if in flight. Shaking her head, Kim wonders where Jeanelle picked up her fascination with such things.

"Come on hun," she says to the lump underneath the blanket "It's time to get up."

The lump mumbles something, but sits up, the blanket falling, revealing the young red head. The girls were twins, but fraternal twins. Elena is a tall blonde, with strong features and green eyes full of mischief and laughter, extremely active and outgoing, loving sports. Jeanelle on the other hand, with her fiery hair, elfish face and dark brown eyes was a quiet and introspective kid, preferring her solitude and her books, although she could be just as active as her sister if she thinks it's worth it.

"I don't have school today mommy," she mutters, wiping at her eyes with one hand.

"No hun, but it is Christmas, so get up and get out there" Kim says.

That causes Jeanelle to hurry up as she gets dressed. Although she seemed to be heading towards being a goth, she was still a kid, and like all kids, she loves Christmas.

Seeing her hurry, Kim heads to the kitchen to prepare some coffee for herself and her husband. She still wasn't a good cook, but Ron claimed to love her coffee. As the coffee brews, Kim leans back against the counter, smiling as she goes down memory lane.

After high school, Kim went to Go University, earning dual degrees in psychology and Criminal Justice. Ron had also gone to GU, getting a culinary degree and a business degree. After college, they had gotten married before starting their respective careers. Kim went to work at Global Justice, her freelance work getting her a high position in the organization. Her hard work and dedication paid off and she was now second in command at Global Justice, working directly for Doctor Director herself.

Ron had turned into a success as well. After college, he started a 5 star restaurant that was still listed in the top 5 restaurants in the country, even after 10 years. He was also looking into opening another restaurant in Go City.

But those successes paled in comparison to the birth of the twin girls 9 years ago. Nothing came close to the night those two came into the world, although Ron was also a patient later that night after Kim squeezed his hand too hard, breaking one of the small bones in his hand.

Her reverie is broken when Elena comes in, carrying a Bratz doll. Hugging Kim, Elena says, "Thank you Mommy. And thank you for the make-up kit for her too."

"You're welcome honey," Kim says, hugging Elena back. "Now go open the rest of your presents. I'll be in shortly," she says, playfully swatting Elena's butt to get her going.

A few minutes later, Kim enters the living room carrying two cups of coffee. Handing one to her husband, she snuggles up to him on the couch, watching their daughters opening their presents. The rest of the morning is spent that way, Elena laughing and joyful with each present, even Jeanelle smiling, especially when she opens one present to find Prometheus Unbound, the play by Percy Bysshe Shelley. She may have been only nine, but she was an advanced student at school, which was to be expected considering her lineage.

After the presents have been opened, Ron serves a breakfast of omelets with Kim and Ron having an english muffin on the side, Elena having toast, and Jeanelle having a bagel with cream cheese. Once breakfast is done, they all return to the living room, and enjoy Ron's favorite tradition, which consists of watching a DVD of Snowman Hank.  
Elena loved Snowman Hank and it showed. Jeanelle on the other hand, you couldn't get her to admit that she liked it. When it comes on, she slumps on the couch, a bored expression on her face, and arms crossed over her chest, although about halfway through, when Kim turns to look at her, she's seen mouthing the words and petting Rehan, Rufus' granddaughter, Rufus having passed on 6 years ago, but not before having bred with another naked mole rat.

After the movie, the kids call their relatives to thank them for the gifts. Kim takes the time to chew out her brothers for their gifts, the older twins sending the younger set chemistry sets with volatile chemicals, which Jeanelle absolutely loved, almost as much as her new book by Shelley. Once done, the kids bundle up and head outside to play, leaving their parents the clean up.

After picking up the last of the wrapping, Kim sighs and settles onto the couch, curling up to Ron, who puts his arm around her.

"Another Christmas gone," Kim says, almost wistfully.

"Yeah," Ron says, looking down at his wife. Even after 10 years, he still gets a swell of emotion whenever he thinks of Kim as his wife. Leaning down, he kisses her softly, "We did good this year" he murmurs.

"Yeah," Kim sighs, smiling, "Gonna kill the Tweebs though."

Ron laughs, "Aww, don't be so hard on them. Besides, they wouldn't send the gifts if our set didn't like them."

Kim grumbles good naturedly, "Yeah Yeah. How much you want to bet that Jeanelle will destroy the house with the chemistry set?"

"About the same that Elena will do the same," Ron says, chuckling, "What I get for marrying the daughter of a brain surgeon and a rocket scientist."

Kim elbows Ron in the side, "Hush you. Like you don't encourage them."

"What?" Ron asks, laughing, "I don't encourage them to destroy things. I urge them to use their energy and brains in creative ways"

"Uh-huh" Kim says doubtfully, sipping her coffee, "I- Wait. Did you hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything," Ron says, looking at the door, "But Rehan is going nuts" pointing to the naked molerat, who's scratching at the door and grunting, "Hnk Hnk. Kids."

"What's going on?" Kim asks, rushing to the door and opening it. As she looks out the door, her hand falls from the door knob, stilled in shock for a moment. Then like a horse out of the starting gate, she's running out into the snow, rage making her not feel the cold snow under her feet as she screams her kids' names.

Ron makes it to the door just after she does, and he gets a good look before he too takes off, eyes glowing blue.

Across the street, two men have Jeanelle and Elena, and are shoving them into the back of a white featureless and windowless van. Once the kids are loaded, the men hurriedly leap into the back, closing the door as the van takes off, tires squealing as it goes down the street.

"Give me my kids back!" Kim screams, years of athleticism and pure anger and fear keeping her going. Ron's eyes are blazing now, and he easily overtakes his wife, steam rising from his footprints as he runs. But it's useless. The van makes a sudden turn and is lost amidst the rush hour traffic.

Kim drops to her knees, ignoring the wetness as tears stream down her face, "Give me my babies back," she cries as Ron rejoins her, pulling her into his embrace, rage twisting his features as he stares at the traffic ahead. Someone had just made the worst mistake of their life.

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What a way to start huh? So what ya think? Read and review.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I own Elena and Jeanelle. Does anyone else feel weird about saying they own people? hehe Anyways, I don't own Kim Possible or any of the other characters from the show.

Thanks for the kind reviews. I'll try not to disappoint.

* * *

Wade Load gets off the phone with the Southwest regional director of Load Industries, turning to his computer and calling up the blueprints for his latest invention, a device that, if it works, will help filter pollutants directly from the air itself. As he works, his mind narrows until his only focus is the plans. He misses the phone call that comes, his fingers moving across the holographic display, another invention of his, rapidly, holographic representations twisting and turning and falling into place.

But one sound does break his reverie. To him, it's one of the most important sounds in his life. As the alarm blares stridently, the program he's working on saves and closes automatically, another program taking it's place. This one displays a holographic topographical map of Middleton with four red dots. Two of the dots are stationary and in the middle of the street, a sequence of letters identifying them as Kim and Ron. About 8 years ago, Ron had found out about the tracking chip. While he was understandably upset, it didn't last long as he realized why it was done. At about the same time, Kim had found out that Wade had also chipped her. Her anger almost destroyed their friendship, but it was saved by the timely intervention of Ron, who pointed out that Kim had known he was chipped, and didn't get upset over that, knowing that it was for Ron's safety. He wisely didn't mention that he had more right to be angry than she did, as she was his wife after all, and still hadn't told him. Not to mention, she should have figured she was chipped anyways as Wade never did things halfway. After Kim had settled down, they had all sat down and talked. It was a long talk, but the main result that that at the end, Elena and Jeanelle were also chipped, although their chips were in bracelets instead of being implanted.

It was the twins' chips that started the alarm, their dots flashing stridently as they moved onto the interstate. One of the children, probably Jeanelle as she was usually the one who was cool under pressure, had activated the alarms in their bracelets. Calling up another program, he monitors the children's vitals, noting with concern that both children's heart rates are accelerated.

Using his computer, he makes two simultaneous calls to the FBI and Global Justice and relays the information. Once done with that, he tries contacting Kim and Ron, but neither answer. Not surprised, Wade goes back to monitoring the situation, tracking the girls' movements as he tries to get one of his satellites into the area. After a moment though, he stops typing eyes wide as he moans, "Noooo..."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"That was intense," one of the men says, removing his ski-mask once the van's back door was closed. The man is rough looking, bald, with a serpent tattoo on the back of his head, dark eyes, and a full black goatee, "Did you see how fast Stoppable was running?"

"No wonder he was the star running back back when he was in high school," the driver says. This one is dark skinned, with a hoop piercing his eyebrow

"Can it you two," the second man in back says, "We're not in the clear yet, so don't get cocky".

"Sorry boss," the two men say, going silent.

The man next to the driver, still wearing his ski-mask picks up his cell-phone as it starts ringing. He listens to the faint voice on the other end, then hangs up without saying a word. Reaching into the space under his seat, he pulls out a small blue case, handing it back to the boss as he says, "Base detected two RF frequencies coming from the van"

The boss takes the case and opens it, pulling out what looks like a futuristic gun. The main part is triangular, with the sides slightly curved, and is mostly flat, with a small bulge at the wide end. Two prongs stick out from the back, a black wrapped wire sticking out from between them, leading to a light blue hand held reader. Kneeling next to Jeanelle, he runs the gun like device over her tied up body, ignoring the hatred that seems to flow from the young girl Getting a response at her wrist, he has his partner lift her arms slightly, then runs the device both under her arms, along her body, then along her arms, stopping at the charm bracelet.

"Clever Mr. Load," he murmurs, setting the device down and reaching into a small holster at his hip, pulling out a Leatherman multitool.

Opening it, he uses the wire cutters to cut off her bracelet, then goes to Elena, who's terrified speechless. He does the same to her as well, ignoring Jeanelle who practically growls, "If you lay a finger on her, my mommy and daddy will kick your butt."

Handing the bracelets up to the man in the passenger seat, he says, "Toss them out the window as hard as you can Darryl."

Darryl nods and does as ordered, opening the window all the way and giving the bracelets a hard toss, the bracelets glinting in the sunlight as they sail off the interstate.

It's then that Jeanelle gets the first glimmer of fear, seeing their last hope literally going out the window. Her voice trembles slightly as she asks, "W-what are you going to do to us?"

"I have no desire to harm either of you," the leader says, "I won't either, as long as your parents follow the instructions they should be receiving soon."

"What will they have to do?" she asks, trembling

"Sorry," the man says, eying the man in the back with them "I am not like your parents' old foes, to brag about my plans before I carry them out."

"But there are rules," Jeanelle says, "A villain's code."

The man smiles behind his mask, "True," he says, giving a slight nod, "But one of the benefits of being a bad guy is, I don't have to follow the rules."

Jeanelle is about to say more, but she feels a sharp pinch in her neck. Twisting about, she glares at the man behind her, taking note of the needles in his hand, then suddenly starts blinking as her eyes start burning slightly, her vision blurring before she sinks into oblivion.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ron manages to get his distraught wife back into the house. Settling her on the couch, he gives her a kiss on the forehead before he picks up his Ronnunicator and presses the button.

Wade's face appears on the screen, and he's looking scared, "I called the FBI and Global Justice," he says before Ron can say anything.

"One of the kids managed to activate her bracelet," he continues, typing furiously, "Right now, I have them moving northeast on Interstate 76" he looks at the map and gulps, "Uh-oh"

"Uh-oh?" Ron practically yells, "What do you mean uh-oh?"

Wade's typing even faster, the clacking of the keys setting up an incessant beat that seems to match Ron's heart, "They're no longer moving," Looking up at Ron with horror in his eyes, Wade says, "The bracelets aren't detecting their heartbeats anymore. What's going on Ron?"

"I-i," Ron stammers, getting a deer caught in the headlights look, "I..."

"It doesn't mean they're dead," Kim suddenly says, joining her husband. She had shut down momentarily, but now was back with a vengeance, "Whoever grabbed our kids wouldn't just kill them. They probably took the bracelets off."

Gripping her husband by the face, she turns him until he's looking at her, her hard eyes looking into his scared eyes, "Our babies are fine Ron. We will find them. Our babies are fine." She holds his gaze until she sees his resolve, then gives him a kiss before releasing him.

"Are the bracelets still transmitting?" Kim asks Wade.

"Yeah," Wade says, showing her the steady beeping dots.

"Alright. We know which way they went," she says, "Contact Global Justice and have them send a team here."

"Already did it," Wade says, "They should be there any minute now."

Sure enough, a moment later, there's a single perfunctory knock on the door, then Betty Director, the head of Global Justice, walks in, followed by Will Du and several other makes her way right to Kim and hugs her, "Oh Kimberly, I am so sorry. We will get them back. I promise. Right now, the rescue of your children is Global Justice's top priority."

"Thank you," Kim murmurs, finding it odd to hug her boss, but welcoming it just the same.

When Betty releases Kim, she embraces Ron as well, murmuring comfort to him before she steps back, the face of professionalism, "Right then. Tell me what happened. My men will comb the scene."

As the agents work around them, Doctor Director has Ron and Kim seated at the couch while she takes a chair from the kitchen and sits in front of them, and listens to their story. At the end, she leans back and sighs, "Not much to go on. Men in masks, a featureless white van. And the bracelets have been removed. All we can do is wait for the kidnappers to make their demands known"

"What can we do?" Ron asks, ready and eager to get on the case.

"Nothing," Will Du says, "This isn't a civilian matter. Let us handle it."

"Now see here," Kim says, snarling, "I am your superior, and we..."

"Not in this you aren't," Dr. Director says, regret evident

"But my kids are out there!" Kim exclaims, twisting to look at her boss.

"Exactly," Betty says with a sigh, "They are your kids. You're too close. We will keep you informed of any developments, but you cannot participate." Pinching the brdge of her nose, she says, "I'm sorry Kim. But that's the way it has to be."

Kim is about to protest further when Ron grips her shoulders and speaks, "We understand Doctor Director. But you better find our kids."

"We will Ronald," Betty says, bowing her head in respect.

Ten minutes later, Wade contacts them with news, "Kim, Ron we've had a hit on the website."

"I thought you shut it down now that we don't do the missions?" Kim asks, looking at his image on her kimmunicator.

Wade blushes and says sheepishly, "Well, umm. I tried. But there are so many memories. Plus people still post to the site, some wishing us the best, others asking for help. I direct those to the relevant authorities."

"That's all good Mr. Load," Betty says, "But you said there was a hit?"

"Uh yeah," Wade says, "It's from the kidnappers. I'll send it to the television." Years ago, Wade had had the Stoppable house completely computerized, including a communications tap that lets all communications be routed to any room, any television, in the house.

Ron turns on the television, only to find a black screen, "What the..? Wade?"

"Wait for it," Wade says, tapping a few keys.

After a moment, the television brightens, showing a room in darkness, the silhouette of a large man in the center of the screen.

At first there's silence, then the man speaks, voice digitally altered, "Greetings Kim and Ron Stoppable. And I presume the head of Global Justice is there as well. If so, I extend my greetings to you as well Doctor Director," causing Doctor Director to start. The existence of Global Justice was supposed to be top secret.

"As your technical genius has undoubtedly told you," the man continues, "I am the one who kidnapped your children," an image appears in the corner of the screen, Jeanelle and Elena, tied back to back in a dark room, gagged and blindfolded, but slumped over. Kim gasps and Ron pulls her close, her fists clenched so tightly that blood drips onto the white carpet, staining the plush fabric crimson.

"I assure you, they are fine. I merely sedated them for the journey. They shall awaken soon." The man leans forward, "I have no intention of harming your children. They are merely an insurance policy to ensure you do as you are told. As long as that occurs, your children will be unharmed, and after you have done the tasks I will give you, they will be returned to you, safe and sound."

"Give me back my babies," Kim hisses, "Give them back!" she screams, forgetting for the moment that she speaks to a recording. Ron holds her close, eyes flaring blue as he watches the recording.

As if expecting such an outburst, the man had paused. When he resumes speaking, he says, "I give you one day to adjust to this situation. At 5 pm tomorrow, I will post to your website again with your first set of instructions. I have heard much of the vaunted Team Possible. Please do not disappoint." With that, the recording ends, leaving the living room in stunned silence.

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AN: so ends another chapter. Please read and review.

I will leave you with a small tidbit of information. Did you know, before Charles Dickens' book, "A Christmas Carol", the biggest holiday was not Christmas? Before then, people considered Easter to be far more important, while Christmas held the same level of importance to them as Easter does to us today. So, in a way, Dickens is the father of modern Christmas, despite few of our modern traditions showing up in his book.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I own Elizabeth, Jeanelle, and the current bad guys. Disney owns everyone else.

Thanks for the kind reviews, and I am extremely sorry for the delay. Been in and out of the hospital. Don't worry. I'm fine. I wasn't the patient.

* * *

Elena slowly opens her eyes to darkness. Blinking rapidly, she shakes her head to clear it of the remaining cloudiness, "W-Where am I?" she murmurs as she rises from her chair. Feeling something chafe at her wrists, she rubs at them, feeling a thin rope tied around each wrist, the ends cut. Feeling down her legs, she finds more cut rope around each ankle. Quickly removing the ropes, she looks around, chest rising and falling rapidly as she starts panicking. Starting to cry, she calls out, "Jeanelle? Jeanelle? Where are you?"

"I'm.. I'm here bubble butt," Jeanelle says from right behind Elena, "Calm down sis."

"Wh-what's going on?" Elena whimpers, trying to see in the dark room, turning to her sister and reaching out for her.

"We were kidnapped," Jeanelle says, her voice sounding tired. After a moment, they find each other and hug each other tightly.

"What? Why?" Elena cries into Jeanelle's shoulder, "Where's mommy and daddy?"

"Shhh," Jeanelle murmurs, "Calm down sis. Mommy and Daddy will find us soon and these idiots will wish they'd never been born."

"You hear that?!" Elena shouts to the empty room, "When our parents get a hold of you, you'll be sorry! Now let us go!"

Keeping Elena in her grip, Jeanelle slowly makes her way through the room, walking in shuffling steps and holding one arm out to feel her way in the darkness. When her shin bumps into something metallic, she bends over and feels along the edge. Finding a covered matress, she gently guides her sister down onto the bed, then sits next to her.

The two girls holding each other, both stare into the darkness, Elena's sobbing easing as her fear fades. Neither know how much time passes when the lights slowly come on, revealing a small but pleasant looking room, the cement walls painted a pleasant yellow, two twin beds on each side of the room, a low two drawer dresser set against the wall between the beds, a small three shelf bookshelf bolted onto the top of the dresser, filled with paperback books. In the center of the opposite wall is a metal door, with a barred window and a covered slot for sliding things through. Next to the door is a small television bolted to it's stand, which in turn is bolted to the floor. Nestled in each corner of the ceiling is a security camera, set up to eliminate any blind spot.

A few minutes after the lights come on, the door creaks open and a man in a grey business suit comes in, around the age of 25, short black hair swept back from a strong face, dark piercing eyes staring unblinking at the girls.

"My name is Samuel North," he finally says, his voice cultured and smooth, "And what you must realize, is that there is no escape. Make the attempt and you will be separated. Make the attempt again...." he smiles grimly, "Your parents would probably like a souvenir. A finger. An ear... I hope you're getting the idea."

"What do- do you want from us?" Jeanelle asks, her soft voice almost a whisper.

"From you?" Samuel asks, smiling slightly, "Absolutely nothing. This is about your parents. You're just here to make sure they do as told."

"Mommy and daddy won't help you," Elena says, lifting her chin in defiance, "They won't help you take over the world."

"The world?" Samuel asks, his grin widening slightly before he starts laughing. Throwing his head back, he laughs long and hard before he finally manages to say, "My dear sweet Elena. I have no interest in ruling the world. My goals are a bit more... ambitious."

"What are your goals then?" Jeanelle asks, eyes narrowed in wariness as she stares at Samuel.

"Simple my dear child," he says, "I'm going to correct a few mistakes that others have made."

Turning for the door, he says, "Get comfortable girls. I'll be back shortly with a film crew for your parent's first task."

The door closing behind him, the girls hear him say to the guards, "Get the girls some extra blankets. It's cold in there." A few seconds later, he can be heard shouting from further away, "And someone feed them!. It's barbaric to let a child go hungry on Christmas!"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The next afternoon finds Kim and Ron pacing in their living room, Wade sitting at a card table, his computer before him and hooked up through numerous cables to hardware operated by a small team of Global Justice agents.

For the 15th time in less than 5 minutes, Kim and Ron both look at the clock above the mantel, which shows the time as just a few minutes before 5.

"Calm down you two," Betty Director says, stepping from the kitchen, cup of hot coffee in hand, "The man who did this put a lot of planning and effort into it. He will contact us."

"He has our babies," Kim says, glaring at Betty. Her expression softens and she looks down, ashamed, "Sorry Doctor."

"It's ok," Betty says, smiling sympathetically, "Your reaction is understandable. But as I said. He went to a lot of effort for this. He's not just going to harm your kids. He needs them as leverage." Holding her coffe out to Kim, who takes it with a brief nod of thanks, she says, "Here. You need it more than I do. You two didn't get any sleep at all, did you?"

Wade snorts and says, "Would you in their place?"

"I suppose not Mr. Load," Betty says, sighing, "Anything yet?"

"Take your own advice," Wade says, monitoring the former teen heros' website, "It's not quite 5 yet, plus we can't assume that his clock is exactly the same as our... Hold on. A hit just came through." Tapping a few keys, he says, "It's him. Another recording. Plus some files."

"Can we trace it?" Doctor Director, the Head of Global Justice asks, all business now.

"No ma'am," one of the GJ techs says, "If it was live and streaming then yeah. But this was uploaded directly to the website's server. And as with the previous upload, this one was done through numerous proxies. I'm getting locations from Middleton to Bangkok. No way to tell which, if any, is the real location."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Betty sighs and says, "Alright. Play the video."

Wade types on his keyboard for a few minutes, then indicates the television screen, which everyone turns to face.

"A picture is worth a thousand words, is it not?" The familiar voice muses, though the screen is still dark in the recording. Slowly the scene lightens, showing a nightmare come true. The little concrete cell could be anywhere, with clean, blank walls and floor, and two child-sized bunks. On each of the beds sits Jeanelle and Elena, eyes wide in fright as they look at the camera, with Samuel North standing between them.

"As you can see, your daughters are fine. And as long as I get what I want, they will remain unharmed." Sam says, staring into the camera, "While I do not wish to hurt these little angels, You might make it regrettably necessary if you are not prompt in your services to me. Now, I'll let the girls each say a few words so you know they're fine."

He beckons Elena forward, the little blonde timid as she stands in front of Samuel, facing the camera. She's trying to look brave, but her lower lip is trembling. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he says softly, "It's alright little one. Just say what I told you to say."

Elena nods, and takes a deep breath, "H-hi mommy and daddy. Jeanelle and I are fine, and... and..." she stops talking, trying to remember. Samuel leans down and whispers in her ear. She nods and continues, "We're fine. Just do as you're told and we'll stay fine."

"Good girl," Samuel says, patting her shoulder and having her go back to the bed. Beckoning Jeanelle forward, he says, "Your turn. Just say as we practiced."

"Hi mommy and daddy," Jeanelle says, scowling up at Samuel when he touches her shoulder, "We're fine. But please hurry."

Having Jeanelle go back to her bed, Samuel stares into the camera, "There. Now you know they're fine. Time for your first task. Included with this recording are some files. One of the files is the blueprint to Doctor Drakken's latest lair. Follow the directions provided and you shouldn't have any trouble bypassing his security. Once inside, you will make your way to the room indicated. Inside the room is a supercomputer. Follow the instructions provided with the schematics and retrieve the indicated circuit board. The circuit board is what makes the hive mind of the Bebes possible. It's irreplaceable and irreproducable. Once you retrieve the circuit board, return home and await further instructions. Do not attempt to alter, destroy or damage the circuit board. Fail in this task, or attempt to alter, destroy or damage the circuit board, and you'll never see your precious daughters again." The recording ends there, leaving the room in silence for a moment before everyone starts bustling.

"What do we do?" Kim asks, looking between her employer and her husband.

"The choice is yours," Betty says, "On the one hand, we shouldn't just give dangerous technology to him. But on the other, we may have to play along until we can get your daughters back."

Calling to Wade, she asks, "What do we have on Drakken's latest activities?"

Sipping from his soda, the young genius says, "Not much. He's been remarkably quiet since the Lorwardian invasion 12 years ago. There was a brief mention of him and Shego being seen in the Bahamas a few years ago. But other than that, he's been quiet. No schemes to take over the world or anything."

"Weird," Ron says

"Not really," Betty says, "Our psych profiles of him indicate all he really wanted was recognition for his genius. He finally got that after helping you two save the world with his plan. After the award ceremony, he was inundated with offers from every scientific institution world wide. Last time I saw his name in a GJ report was back when it was announced that he was helping the UN develop technology to help the people afflicted by starvation and drought in Africa. But that was about 10 years ago."

"Any idea where he's located?" Will Du asks, brushing unseen lint off his uniform's sleeve.

"The file with the blueprint has the location," Wade says, bringing that file up on the television.

"So we're doing this then?" Kim asks, "Breaking into an innocent man's home and stealing from him?"

"Innocent?" Will Du asks, sneering, "He was never cleared of any of his past charges. He still has outstanding warrants in 7 other nations for the Diablo incident."

"Which everyone has been willing to overlook ever since the Lorwardian incident," Betty says, "The President of the US issued him and Shego a full pardon, as have most other nations. None of those countries will make the effort to capture either of them for extradition."

"And," Kim says, "Those warrants are in countries known for their severe civil rights violations. No-one''s interested in extraditing any prisoner to those countries even if they did make the attempt."

Will Du seems like he wants to disagree, but at a glance to Betty, he doesn't say anything, merely stands at attention to await orders.

"Anyways," Betty says, glancing at Will briefly, "I think we should do as instructed. We can explain to Drakken and Shego afterwards, and offer them suitable compensation. In the meantime, I think it best if this isn't like your standard operations with those two. We need to minimize conflict, so I suggest a stealth entry. Sneak in, get the circuit board, and sneak out." With that, they gather around the television screen and start planning.

* * *

so, what do y'all think? A suitable chapter for such a long delay? Please read and review.


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